Pregnant Pause - May 3 2023

 

Pregnant Pause

May 3 2023

The silence

filled the space between us,

and in the awkward second

that seemed to last forever

I fumbled for whatever words

could get us past the lull.

I forget what was said, in the end

to break the silence.

Because it doesn't really matter

as long as someone speaks up.

So little time,

yet more than enough

for your face to flush

pulse jump

thoughts race;

am I being judged

rejected

snubbed,

have we run out of things to say?

How boring have I become?

A bright spotlight

singling you out

in its hot merciless glare.

And then the friend

you’ve known forever,

when the conversation flows so freely

you're finishing his sentences.

Like a friendly game of tennis,

smoothly volleying

back-and-forth

with no out-of-bounds.

Or the other friend

who doesn't fear the silences.

Who simply stops;

processing what was said,

and taking the time

for a considered reply

and couldn't seem more natural?

The glib extrovert

frothing over with words.

And the thoughtful introvert

you can be yourself with.

While in the elevator

no one talks.

Just strangers, averting their eyes,

arms folded

or clutching their purses

a little closer.

A stiff silence

like a collective holding of breath.

No private conversations,

picking up the phone,

talking to yourself.

Not even humming or whistling,

and God forbid

religion

politics

sex.

Where silence is not only permitted

but required.

No awkward lulls,

no desperate itch

to bridge the gap.

No regrets

for something you said.

And none, especially

for that brilliant thing

you didn’t.